There are myriad trails at the preserve, so it will take some planning before you start the visit.
Over the years, I’ve described some overlooks as having a church-steeple view — those places where you look out across a sea of green with only a lonely spire poking through as your human company. This overlook, along a 1,000-foot-long ledge at Coney Rock Preserve in Mansfield, fits that des…
The Hadlyme Hills are a trifecta of preserves that showcase the beauty of the Connecticut River Tidelands,
The trail known as the “Mile of Ledges” along the Blue-blazed Tunxis Trail in Burlington is a natural-world roller coaster.
Located on the Rhode Island border, the "caves" feel like a trip back in time, to terrain fit for prehistoric beasts.
The trails offers a glimpse of the shoreline’s rock-splitting past and present.
Hike, mountain bike or cross-country ski for miles across hundreds of acres and climb a high wooden tower with amazing views.
The iron mill worker sat on the stone wall and watched as the autumn leaves tumbled off the oak trees and fell into the waters of the Saugatuck River. The bright blue sky reflected off the water and cast a hypnotizing spell on him as he dreamed of returning to his favorite fishing spot after…
Welcome to nature’s classroom, where both the natural world and human history intersect.
William Gillette and George McLean were two men who knew what they had. Gillette, an actor who built Gillette Castle high above the Connecticut River in East Haddam, expressed the desire in his will that it would never come into the possession of “a blithering sap-head who has no conception …
It’s not often you can hike back to the late 1800s along a trail where donkeys once pulled carts full of ore from mines deep in the hills down to roasting ovens and a blast furnace that produced iron and steel. Welcome to 1867 in a short-lived boomtown known as Chalybes. Today, parts of the …
We tapped local experts for their go-to elements to create the perfect picnic, even if it’s in your own backyard.
Here’s a look at some places to explore right on or just across the Connecticut border.
Four health experts tell us if they are planning to travel this summer, and offer advice for those who do.
Travel has never been more complicated than right now, but here are some of the places we're most looking forward to visiting, if not this summer, then sometime soon.
We asked local celebrities to tell us what vacations they're taking — or wish they were taking — this summer.
Until recently, Ted Dumbauld never considered producing hand sanitizer at SoNo 1420, the Norwalk distillery he co-owns. In fact, there would have been few bigger insults you could have hurled at him or any other distiller than to compare their booze to an alcohol-based cleaning product. But …
In recent years, a new sense of vibrancy has built off the city’s rich history, wealth of cultural resources and often stunning natural beauty.
The "Paint the Town Red" celebration in the neighboring towns of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport in Maine makes the perfect backdrop for a romantic winter getaway.
Largely residential East Rock has numerous bars and eateries, as well as East Rock Park, which provides some of the best views in the state.
With four bookstores, a quirky movie theater and easy access to Huntington State Park, the little hometown of P.T. Barnum packs a showman’s punch.
Like it or not, winter is coming. For chilly New Englanders, few things beat a body- and soul-warming trip to the Caribbean. But choosing the perfect island destination can send shivers down anyone’s spine. Whenever I search for a rejuvenating island getaway, a set of travel-tested criteria …
With a little over 10,000 residents, Canton is one of the last towns in Hartford County before the Massachusetts line. It’s the kind of place where many of the original settler names on street signs match families living there today.
Spending a day in the scenic Northwestern Connecticut town, plus five fun facts and a calendar of upcoming events.
Glide down to North Carolina’s historic and neverending Outer Banks for a way-out-there coastal adventure.
"So, what’s there to do in Putnam?” Quite a bit, actually.
The view from the Stonington Harbor Light is less expansive than normal. A thick fog has obscured much of the harbor, decreasing the view from what on a clear day would include three states to a mere few hundred yards. But despite and perhaps because of the fog, the view is achingly, hauntin…
The nearly $1 billion MGM Springfield opened last summer just up I-91 in Massachusetts with hoopla, media buzz and local pride for a downtown on the rise from the ruins of a 2011 tornado.
Milford calls itself a small city with a big heart. It’s also a beautiful seaside community with more miles of coastline than any town in the state. If it’s not home to you, it can start to feel that way in no time.
When I get the assignment to spend a weekend at Foxwoods and write about it, I start to wonder which category gambling losses would go in on my expense report. But it’s going to be tricky to get to the tables. There’s a lot to do here.
On vacation, readers and writers often attempt to settle down with a good book or an unfinished manuscript, respectively. A few hotels in New England are perfect literary retreats and ideal for vacationers hoping never to stray too far from the page or pen.
My wife and I recently spent the night at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville and sampled a portion of what the resort has to offer. Here’s a snapshot of our trip.
You don’t have to fly to the tropics to enjoy the remote charm of an isolated island. These picturesque escapes are all within striking distance of Connecticut, so head to the closest ferry and get ready to kick back, crack open the rosé and disconnect from mainland stresses.
For the past few years, I’ve been having the travel equivalent of an extramarital affair with the Hudson Valley region of New York. Don’t worry, Connecticut, I still love you … the Hudson Valley is just, well, different.
Put the words “road trip” together, say them out loud, and they open a small door into the American soul.
There’s too much to see and do in Simsbury to fit it all in a single day, but I tried my hardest.
Black Rock is that rarest of gems anywhere, but particularly in Fairfield County: an affordable, walkable and liveable area on the water.
Unless you’re a really dedicated cook, you probably won’t bring your 20-piece knife set, double oven, waffle iron and all your other home kitchen toys on your camping trip. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make campfire dishes that taste like home-cooked meals.
The immensity of the world beyond our concerns can help make our lives seem more manageable, which melts stress, and improves our sense of everyday wellbeing.
It might not be glamping, but eight of Connecticut’s state parks and forests have rustic cabins for rent that will put you right in the middle of some of the state’s most beautiful natural settings.
Domes, yurts, tiny houses, safari tents and treehouses. These glamping locations offer the best of both worlds: a hotel-like experience in the splendor of nature.
These are the places to go if you're looking for classic camping without the modern frills.
For most adults, spending time in nature evokes a dose of nostalgia, back to simpler times and pleasures. But these days, increasing numbers of people are opting for a new style of upgraded camping.
It’s hard to call anything in Greenwich, one of Connecticut’s best-known towns, a hidden gem, but the neighborhood of Old Greenwich is just that.
Despite its history, Glastonbury is not a quaint community that lives in the past. The town on the banks of the Connecticut River feels thoroughly modern with a sleek mix of local shops, national retail chains and a notable restaurant scene.
Ridgefield residents describe their town as a best-of-both worlds destination. On one hand, it is a classic New England country town complete with stone walls, historic buildings and a beautiful town green. On the other, it’s only a short train ride or an hour-and-change drive to New York Ci…
American Airlines’ American Eagle regional jet service between Tweed New Haven Regional Airport and Charlotte begins Saturday, giving Tweed a destination beyond Philadelphia for the first time since Delta Connection stopped flying to Cincinnati in 2006.
In this new monthly feature, we take a closer look a what makes a community in our state a great place to visit or live in. First up: the charming small town of Deep River.
It’s not the Hamptons — and thank goodness for that. The North Fork attracts vacationers and seasonal residents who prefer authentic over ostentatious.
I like driving more than most, I think. I usually have no problem with a good four- or five-hour drive. Sometimes, though, it’s lovely to leave the car in place for a while, and not have to think about gas and dashboard lights. So I thought I’d try an experiment: Where could I go for a weeke…
